Yesterday, one year ago, I started this blog. It seems like no time ago that I decided to blog about keeping ponies at home in what was a very rainy month indeed. This morning we had our first hard frost and the water froze in the (unburied) pipe leading to the stable yard.

Last year, I started blogging quietly into an anonymous ether. I thought it would be interesting to record my journey keeping ponies at home on a track system. Like things do, the blog developed its own life and has recorded big moments, like saddles and shoes and trailer loading adventures, and small moments, the in-between moments of connection between my ponies and me that might have been lost had I not put them down and that have accompanied my life this past year, drawing me always to be present.

“Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention“, says one of my favourite inspirational writers, John O’Donohue in his book “Benedictus”. This evening sitting with quietly munching ponies in the darkness brought me joy on a rather black day.

Carolyn Resnick has a blog post describing how she worked with a horse who was difficult to bridle. She emphasises that we do not need to retrain a horse or ourselves. We just need to take the time to allow good energy to happen which allows for a good connection between horses and ourselves and everything follows from that. I read it yesterday and it is one of those posts I would like to return to just to remind myself to focus on my own inner energy and if I find myself doing something that I dread, work on myself first. It is about working from the inside out, which has to be the way to work with horses; with everything in fact.

Also this is a really nice video from France featuring barefoot horses in the Pyrenees. I am not sure about a claim made for horses living longer if barefoot, but there are great close-ups of horses’ footfalls and one great shot where a horse steps on something, feels it, and move his foot to another place.

Dermot is coming next week and I find myself mentally preparing for all the raised eyebrows (and more) I will get about the “irresponsible” thing I am doing. So videos like this are very reassuring in helping fill up a mental bank of images and knowledge.

On the subject of footfall, I have noticed that Ben’s hooves strike the ground toe first, while Rosie’s do not. My daughter has noticed this too.

Our man with a digger has done some good work to our track. I will take some photos of these later. I am trying to be as prepared in terms of environment as I can and I hope I have a head start on this one with the track system that I have.

In the midst of all this mental activity, the ponies rest and I just love, love, love being with them in these moments. Their energy draws me into stillness as well.